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| opening my mouth |
| 10.30.04 (11:19 am) [edit] |
I haven't posted in a very long time, but someone I respect a great deal said one of the nicest things I've just about ever heard; and so I'm going to try to get going on this again.
My cat Sophie loves the fall because, no matter how careful I am, I always track leaves into the house. She crouches over them, looks around suspiciously, and picks them up carefully in her mouth. I find them later where she has secreted them: under the bed, behind the commode, next to the pillowcases in the linen closet.
Today has been a beautiful day, sunny, breezy, warm. A welcome change after early cold and rain this year. I've tried to take good advantage of it. For years I've had an old table that was in my Mom's kitchen for about as long as I can remember. It's beautiful pine, but stained with a dark walnut (as was only appropriate in the 1970's) and was coated with thicknesses of yellowed polyurethane (also 1970's). For a long time I've wanted to take the tabletop off the trestle legs it was on, refinish it to a lighter color, and place it on some understated, real table legs with chairs instead of benches.
So, a number of weeks ago I found an inexpensive table with the legs I wanted and five matching chairs. The wood was not so great, but I decided to get it anyway and *paint* the chairs, table apron and legs a dark, warm grey and refinish the tabletop and then stain the chair seats to match the tabletop. You know, that doesn't sound like so much when written down, but it's been a lot of work. I've sanded all the chairs, painted two coats of primer and two coats of "one-coat" paint. Except for attaching the seats, the chairs are finished. I stripped the factory-sprayed poly off the chair seats and sanded them down to 220 grit. The table legs and apron are sanded, primed and painted with two coats. They need a couple of touch-ups, but are otherwise finished. The table top has been stripped of a good eighth-inch of old poly (that took two applications of stripper), washed with lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol, and washed with TSP. All *that* failed to remove all the old stain, so I sanded lightly and applied bleach three times.
If this table were less sentimental, I'd just sand out the old stain (well, not it were actually valuable in some monetary way, but I don't have any actually valuable furniture), but this table as wonderful marks on it from my family eating at least two meals a day on it. There's even a place where I wrote my name on some homework or something and it transfered through to the wood. There's a place where my brother decided to stab a fork repeatedly into the wood (I actually remember that happening.) So I've tried to take as much of the old color out without sanding. It's not going to be perfectly clear, of course, especially since it's pine, but it's looking pretty good.
Today's good weather let me get the use of the major icky chemicals out of the way. Tomorrow's supposed to be nice too, so I hope to get it stained and maybe one or two coats of tung oil in place.
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posted by: basild (reply)
post date: 10.30.04 (11:38 am)
I recently refinished an old table that's been in my wife's family for years. Although I did some sanding, I left in most of the stains and chips that gave it such character. Loved the post. You have a very effective, clear prose style that is a joy to read.
posted by: FinalyFree (reply)
post date: 10.30.04 (12:04 pm)
I love family heirlooms, especially the really sientimental ones, like your table! I have the very first television 'stand' my parents bought shortly after they were married. It's not valuable to any else but me. It's maple and very 60ish, I wouldn't take anything for it!
posted by: FinalyFree (reply)
post date: 10.30.04 (12:05 pm)
Reply to: FinalyFree
make that sentimental ones, lol
posted by: lynne (reply)
post date: 10.30.04 (12:06 pm)
That sounds really fun. One of these days, I will refinish my old dressers. Hey, it is nice to have you back!
posted by: SusanofPudlin (reply)
post date: 11.01.04 (11:22 am)
Oh hallelujah! Flaring is Flaring BACK! I thought I would never see it. Yippeee!!!!
posted by: Andaloo (reply)
post date: 11.01.04 (8:58 pm)
I know only too well how much time and effort goes into this kind of thing, but it's SO worth it.
It's GREAT to see you back!!!!
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